Chandrayaan-2 Moon Mission will be launched next year

Students must commit themselves to realising former President and renowned scientist Abdul Kalam’s Vision 2020 and work towards transforming the country into a developed nation, Director of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Satellite Centre Mylswamy Annadurai said on Friday.

Addressing students at Mohamed Sathak Engineering College, Kilakarai, near here, on Friday, he said the former President had great hopes for the student community and it should live up to his expectations and help the country to transform in five areas of its core competence identified by him.

Kalam had been a shining example to students that they could achieve anything if they had the perseverance and worked hard, he said adding the late leader had also been a great source of inspiration for him and scores of other scientists in ISRO to scale greater heights. Paying glowing tributes to Kalam, he said when the whole world congratulated him and his colleagues after ISRO’s successful launch of Chandrayaan 1, India’s first lunar probe mission, Kalam simply asked ‘what next’ and suggested that they achieve something bigger. Thanks to the late President’s inspiration, they developed Chandrayaan 2, India’s second lunar exploration mission, which was slated for launch next year, he said. After every achievement, Kalam would ask for more and the unique quality should be emulated by the students, he said.

Earlier, Mr.Mylswamy, in a brief chat with reporters, after calling on Kalam’s elder brother APJM Muthu Meera Maraikayar at House of Kalam in Rameswaram, said if India was in top four or five places in the world in space technology, credit should go to Kalam. Since June last year, ISRO had launched as many as 14 satellites. While 10 satellites were designed and developed as per his suggestions, four were designed by students, again, his dream. The development of Chandrayaan 2 was in the final stages and it would be ready for launch early next year. It would be launched using GSLV launch vehicle. Mangalyaan 1, the Mars Orbiter Mission, was performing satisfactorily and preliminary work on developing Mangalyaan 2 has begun. “The second mission will be at a different level and we are working towards that,” he said. ISRO was also developing Adiya L1 spacecraft to study the sun.